Thylane Delacour
by dolphinnqueen
Summary: a story about the strange daughter of Gabrielle Delacour
1. Chapter 1

||||| _Intro_ |||||

Thylane Delacour was a difficult child.

Her mother said it.

Her aunt said it.

And her cousins never tired of saying it.

She sulked, and she sulked and she sulked.

She went days without uttering a word.

She wouldnt eat.

She had no interest in parks, cinemas or ponies.

She sat in the middle of the floor and drew strange and terrible pictures of men with dark dangerous eyes.

Men that bore resembelance to Gabrielles former boyfriend.

"Thylane honey, would you like to go out and get some icecream?"

"Thylane sweetie why dont you come for a walk with me, we could visit some shops?"

"Thylane dinners on the table!"

"Pizza!... you like pizza"

"Thylane sweetie why wont you eat?"

"It's lovely Thy, why dont you just try a bite?"

"THYLANE EAT YOUR DINNER NOW!"

It was on the day that Thylane drew the worst picture yet.

The man held a rope in his hand.

He smiled menacingly.

His eyes seemed to stare straight through the paper.

He wore no clothing.

Gabrielle screamed.

That day she packed Thylan's bags.

Gabrielle couldnt do it anymore.

She needed help.

So she would go to the only person she could ever rely on.

Her sister.

Fleur.


	2. Chapter 2

1. _Little Bad Girl_

Duffled up in a huge black coat she gripped her sketchbook, her knuckles turning white. Her mother pushed her roughly through the gate. Even though it was mid July the sea air was icy. She hated it. Louis was the first cousin she saw.

He was playing out in the garden surrounded by what must have been Dominiques old tea set, bewitched to pour and clean any spillages. He couldnt have been older than four. Thylan gave him a sullen glance and turned away again. She didnt like looking at happy children.

"Look Thylan zis must be your leetle cousin Louis, Salut Louis!"

"Tea!" Louis exclaimed, offering his aunt a tea cup containing a mixture of sand, grass and salty tea.

Gabrielle chuckled to herself.

Thylan gripped the sketchbook harder and let the stiff sharp pages bite into her skin.

Laughter made her skin crawl.

Gabrielle looked worriedly at her daughter.

"It is beautiful Thylan, dont you zink?" her mother asked, gesturing towards the sea and then back to the cottage.

The sea looked harsh and formidable. The cottage looked cramped and dumpy.

Thylan's frown deepened.

"Gabrielle!" came a high pitched squeal.

Standing at the doorway was a beautiful willowy woman who bore an uncanny resembelance to her mother. This must be aunt Fleur.

Thylan took a step back as her mother and aunt rushed to eachother, embracing and squealing into eachothers hair. She observed critically, as was her habit.

When they broke apart Fleur turned to Thylan.

She went all quiet and her expression changed. Thylan took another step back.

"Mon Dieu Gabrielle! Elle est... Belle!"

Thylan felt her blood chill. Beautiful, she hated the word.

"Je sais" her mother said, joining her sister in looking her up and down.

"Maman!" came a high pitched voice to which Thylan took an instant dislike.

A girl about Thylan's age ran out into the garden. Blonde hair tied in lots of plaits and big beautiful brown eyes. She was veela beautiful just like Thylan.

But she didnt posess the intense beauty that Thylan did. The type of beauty that made passers by on the street stop and just stare. As if mesmerized. Transfixed.

"Maman..." the girl stopped dead. She stood and took in her cousin, her eyes growing wide. She then took a step behind her mother and said "Maman, is that my cousin?"

"Yes Dominique" Fleur said, smiling down at her daughter " This is Thylan".

Dominique stood with one hand clutching her mother surveying her. The instant dislike was clear to see, at least to Thylan. When Dominique looked at her she saw a rival.

Then Dominique smiled sweetly up at Gabrielle and said " Hello aunt Gabrielle, welcome to shell cottage".

"Bonjour Dominique, my ow you've grown".

"Aunt Gabrielle!" came a grown up voice from the doorway.

There stood a beautiful girl of about 17. Long flowing blonde hair, bright blue eyes. A reincarnation of her mother.

Victoire threw herself into Gabrielles arms " It's so nice to see you!"

Then she turned to Thylan, who was now standing as far back as she could get, with her back pressed against the gate as though she was about to make a run for it.

"Thylan!" Victoire gasped "Last time i saw you, you were just a baby!"

She studied her eldest cousin suspiciously.

The last person she met was her uncle Bill, who on first glance was a bit intimidating with the red hot scars engraved in his skin. But she decided he was the one she liked best.

Because if their was one thing Thylan liked, it was physical injuries.

Bruises, cuts, scars, scratches, burns. She had a sketchbook full of a wide range of physical maladies. She thought she might like to draw him if she got the chance.

"Shes a strange child" she heard Bill whisper to his wife that evening.

Gabrielle was in the bathroom, Victoire was studying in her room. Dominique and Louis sat on the floor of the sitting room drawing stupid pictures of suns and houses and their parents.

Thylan sat on the sofa watching them.

"Does she talk at all" Bill asked.

"I'm not sure" Fleur replied.

Thylan turned and looked at them and they both jumped slightly, Fleur spilling some of her tea.

They both smiled nervously at her and when Gabrielle came back from the bathroom they resumed their conversation on working opportunities for wizarding families in France.

"Beautiful though" Bill had said earlier before Gabrielle returned. " A scary kind of beautiful".

Thylan didnt draw with a pencil and rubber like other children. They didnt create the effect she desired. She used heavy oil pastel crayons, thick and lumpy. Her pictures were messy with little structure. When drawing

bruises she didnt bother drawing the person or even the injured body part.

She drew the bruise as a lone subject. It could sometimes take up the entire page.

Violet. Indigo. Midnight blue. They were the colours she used for bruises.

Rouge. Sunset. Burgandy brown. They were the colours she used for burns.

There was structure there all right. It just couldnt be seen with the naked eye.

As was often the case with Thylan.

Her mother returned to Paris three days later, leaving Thylan behind at Shell Cottage.

She didnt say goodbye. What was the point.

Who needed a mother, or a father for that matter. She was fine by herself.

Thylan spent most of her time at Shell Cottage out by the sea front. She sat out on the jagged rocks with her sketchbook.

She drew countless pictures of the reckless waves. The reclusive lifestyle began to suit her. She didn't speak to anybody and they gave up speaking to her.

They gave up trying to get her to eat too. Every time a meal was served, Aunt Fleur would ask Thylan to sit at the table which she would gladly do.

But when asked to eat she would simply sit there.

However her reclusive lifestyle was swept out from under her one fateful Saturday morning.

"Mom, Mom!" Dominique squealed "It's Lilys birthday today! We're going to the party arent we mom? Oh please say yes".

This caught Thylan's interest and she for once listened.

Thylan and Dominique had become accustomed to ignoring each others existence.

"Calm down Dominique, of course we're going, Victoire bought her present in London yesterday." Fleur said happily. That was the annoying thing about Aunt Fleur, she was always pleasent and happy.

"I'll get dressed" Dominique said and bounded back up stairs.

"Wear something nice!" Fleur called after her "Your white dress!"

Thylan, who was sitting in silence at the kitchen table decided to speak for the first time since coming here.

"I dont have to go, do i?" she asked in French, almost inaudibly.

So surprised to hear her neice speak, Fleur dropped the plate she was drying by hand and it fell to the floor with a shattering crash.

Bill ran into the kitchen shooting an accusatory glare at Thylan "What happened" he demanded.

Fleur didn't say anything for a moment. She then turned to face her husband and said slowly "Thylan just asked, if she would be coming to Lily's birthday party."

Understanding passed between the couple.

Fleur sat down at the table opposite Thylan; Bill stood behind her and watched with interest verging on fascination.

"Would you like to go to the party?" she asked.

Thylan didn't answer.

Minutes passed.

Finally Fleur understood.

"Would you like to go to the party?" Fleur asked again, but this time in French.

"Non" Thylan replied, again almost inaudibly.

"And why not?" Fleur asks her in french "There will be other children, sweets, games. You might enjoy it".

"Non"

Her aunt sighed. "Well you have no choice Thylan, because we are all going and you can't stay here by yourself."

When the group of six apperated at the burrow Thylan was greeted by a sore and unfamiliar sight. Happy carefree children.

"I'm going to find Lils!" Dominique announced and skipped away merging with the infinite children running around.

"And i'll go see if i can find Teddy" Victoire tells her parents with a blush rising in her cheeks.

"Right zen" Fleur says to her husband. "Lets see if we can find zee adults." And off they trot with Thylan and a mesmerized Louis following suit.

A group of older looking boys, about twelve or thirteen were having a waterfight nearby. Louis wandered over attempting to join in but his mother scooped him up in her arms.

"He can join in if he wants" a dark haired boy calls out to Fleur, but in his moment of distraction two blonde boys identical to eachother dunk a bucket of water over his head.

Thylan shivers. Bill looks down at her with concern and Fleur waves off the offer to the boys while Louis begins crying.

When the group reach the adults Thylan gets introduced to all Dominiques aunts and uncles.

Harry and Ginny who are the parents of James, Albus and the birthday girl Lily.

Hermione and Ron who are the parents of Hugo and Rose.

George and Angelina who have Fred and Roxanne.

Percy and Audrey with Molly and Lucy.

And then theirs the close family friends like Luna and Rolf who have Lorcan and Lysander, the two blonde boys from earlier.

And Neville who has a daughter called Susie.

This is more people than Thylan's ever known in her entire life and to say she was overwhelmed would be a dramatic understatement.

Everyone looks at her curiously when she doesn't speak or even change facial expression, while Fleur tells them in a hushed voice that shes Gabrielles daughter and a little strange.

And after a little while she wanders off on her own. She passes the group of boys who are now drying off after their water fight. She spots the dark haired boy again and his eyes follow her as she walks past.

She spots Dominique a little bit away, sitting next to a beautiful red haired girl with emerald green eyes. "Thats her" she hears Dominique whisper into the red haired girls ear.

Thylan begins to walk away but before she can make her swift exit the red haired girl bounds up to her, Dominique following unenthusiastically behind.

"So _Your_ Thylan, Dommies told me lots about you" . Shes exactly the kind of girl Thylan would of thought Dominique would hate. On the other hand Dominique looked as if she worshiped the girl.

"So is it true you don't talk" she asks, eyebrows raised.

Thylan doesn't answer.

"I'll take that as a yes then" she says and giggles.

She turns to Dominique and says "I don't know Dommie i like her".

"I'm Lily" she says and extends a long freckled arm.

Thylan doesn't shake her hand but does offer her a mangled "appy Birzday" in english.

Dominique gasps.

"She spoke!" turning to Lily "That's the first time I've ever heard her speak!"

"Thanks Thylan!" she says with a genuine smile. "Why don't you come with me, I can introduce you to people".

Lily marched ahead with Thylan following behind in a state of bewilderment, and Dominique trailing behind them reluctantly.

"These are the boys" Lily announced when the girls reached the group from the water fight.

"James, Fred, Lorcan, Lysander, and Albus and Hugo of course" she says, gesturing towards too young boys whispering in hushed tones. The boys stare at her; Albus and Hugo nod their heads at her and return to their hushed conversation.

"_Boys_" Lily says in an authorial manner "This is Dommies cousin from France, Thylan".

Lily says Thylans name with this note of respect, which Dominique notices and it causes an unattractive scowl to spread across her face.

"Hi" they all say in unison but they continue to stare at her in that way that boys do.

She doesn't say anything back because she hates that stare and won't reward it with a reply.

Their brief exchange s interrupted by the voice of Lily's mother.

"Lils" her sing song voice trills happily "Come on its time for cake!"

"Come on guys" Lily gasps happily and she runs along towards her mother, Dominique following dutifully behind once again. The boys follow after them at their own boyish pace and Thylan stands sock still.

"Aren't you coming?" enquires a voice behind her. She turns to see the boy with the dark brown hair, the one introduced to her as James.

"You don't talk?"

She answers his question.

After about a minute she changes her mind.

"I don't like cake" she says firmly.

"A little girl who doesn't like cake" he says smiling "Well that's a first!"

She decides she might like him. Just a little bit.

"James hurry up we're all waiting" comes Ginny's voice, not so sing song anymore.

"I've gotta go" he says, and strides away from her, leaving her all alone.

She finds a clearing.

A place to sit.

Her back against the trunk of a tree.

And she listens.

Bird song, the sound of a river rushing nearby, the faded laughter of a family celebrating the birthday of a dearly loved little girl.

A tear slips down her face. One tear, one drop. She brushes it away on the back of her sleeve.

Aunt Fleur comes looking for her after an hour.

"Thylan!" she exclaims "I was so worried!"

Thylan stands up, brushes the dirt off her jeans and accompanies her aunt back to the party.

The cake has been eaten, the presents opened and people are starting to finish up and say their good byes.

Lily and Dominique are sitting cross legged on the grass a few feet away. Lily, pretending it seems to be interested in a toy steam engine she got as a gift from the Longbottoms. It's a beautiful model, Royal red and charcoal black and run by magic, shrouded in a wispy trail of smoke.

But Thylan can see they're not really interested in the steam engine. They're having a serious conversation.

"But that's silly Lils, why would you _want_ to get in their"

"Because I want to be different silly, and anyway I wouldn't fit in in Gryffindor or anywhere else for that matter".

"But you can't be in Slytherin Lily, what will I do without you".

"You'll be fine Dominique stop worrying, where ever your sorted you'll be fine."

Thylan didn't understand what the girls were talking about but the hushed conversation peeked her interest.

That night as Thylan lay awake in bed too afraid to fall asleep to be haunted by her dreams she supposed her first week in England hadn't been all together too painful.

A/N: I hope you liked it. I am by no means a very skilled writer so all con/crit is graciously received. Please feel free to tell me what you think :)


End file.
